Breast cancer is found to be the most prevalent neoplasm in women worldwide. Despite the function of physically tethering cells to the matrix, transmembrane protein integrins are crucially involved in diverse cellular functions such as cell differentiation, proliferation, invasion, migration, and metastasis. Dysregulation of integrins and their interactions with the cells and their microenvironment can trigger several signaling cues that determine the cell fate decision. In this review, we spotlight all pre-existing integrin molecules, their structure, molecular interactions motifs, and function through several cross talks with kinase receptors. We also discuss the role of these integrins as potential prognostic and therapeutic targets and also in the regulation of breast cancer cells differentiation. Understanding of integrin structure and their motifs for ligand interactions in this context will enable the development of new therapeutic approaches to sensitize the tumors and their microenvironment to conventional therapy and overall suppress their metastatic phenotype.
Keywords: breast cancer; cross-talk signaling; integrins structure; metastasis; prognostic and therapeutic targets.
© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.